Dance in the Rain
by Kowareta1468
Summary: There are three types of people in the world. They all have their own struggles to survive. Some die on the street of starvation, some of the cold. But they all have one thing in common: they hate royalty. The King doesn't care if they die, and all Royals are cruel. but there comes an age where you learn that that isn't quite true. Gray learns this earlier than most. GraLu.
1. Chapter 1: Chocolate (5-3)

**Hello everyone! Thank you so much if you are taking the time to read this.**

**Summary: ****There are three types of people in the world. The first are the lowest of the low. They sleep on the cold ground anywhere there is space for them. They will die within weeks of reaching this all-time-low. Then there are the poor people. These people live in small, run-down houses. They can barely afford food, and they usually survive. The last group are the merchants. They live a little better, but are still barely surviving. But above these people, is the royal family. To the dying people among the streets, they are just scum, too greedy to help the people. But there comes an age when you learn that it isn't quite true. For Gray, this happens earlier than he ever thought.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

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"Get back here!"

Gray laughed as he ran threw the streets, a sack of food under his arm. Five other people were chasing him, pitchforks in hand. All the more fun for him. He rounded a corner, sliding on the dirt. The fact that he wasn't wearing shoes didn't help much, either.

"I spent months growing those!"

Gray looked ahead and saw his best friend, Natsu, running towards him, a crowd of people behind him. He was carrying a sack as well. They both smirked before running down an alley. They were fast runners, so they managed to lose the angry merchants.

"That was rough," Gray sighed, panting. He put his hands on his knees. His one hand was touching bare skin. The one pant leg of his trousers was gone completely. His shirt was in shreds. Natsu's clothing wasn't much better. They were the lowest class. Honestly, they were lucky they had clothes at all. And they managed to get food, unlike others in their social class.

"Those guys chased me across town," Natsu panted. He slumped down on the river bank. Gray knelt down beside him and put his hands in the water. He scooped some up and splashed his face. He scrubbed some dirt off before splashing himself again. Dirt was still caked in his hair, but he didn't mind. He was used to it. He looked around and saw a few others washing their faces. Some were laying down. He wasn't sure if they were dead or sleeping. But in his eighteen years, if he's learned anything, it's that being dead is better than living, so it didn't matter which it was.

"Isn't that Wendy?" Natsu asked. He pointed across the river. The seven-year-old was talking to a woman. The bottom part of her layered dress was peaking below her brown cloak. The hood was up, so neither could see her face. They couldn't tell if she was wearing shoes because of the length of her dress.

"What do you think they are saying?" Gray asked. He wasn't really phased by the fact that his little sister was talking to a stranger. It wasn't like she would get kidnapped or anything. That would be one more mouth to feed. You were lucky if you fed yourself, let alone someone else, so it wasn't wise to steal people.

"There they are!"

Gray and Natsu were running in a flash. They weaved through the streets, trying not to step on people who were either dead or alive, or run into anyone walking. The line of mud-brick houses were so familiar to them. They could name each crack on the road; they knew the path so well.

Then they reached their safe-heaven. It was a farely large building, but it was very run-down. A crooked sign out front read FAIRY TAIL. It was a small little place where the knitting class would gather, if you were a member. They would sometimes take jobs for merchants, and in return get food.

They swung open the doors and entered with their heads held high. Everyone greeted them as they walked past. They sat down at the bar, smirks on their faces.

"Gentlemen," the woman behind the bar said. She had long white hair and blue eyes. Her hair was only slightly dirty, since she seldom went outside. Her dress was a dull brown, and it had minimal wholes in it.

"Miss Mirajane," Gray said politely.

"Using manners, I see?" Mira chuckled. "You must have brought something home."

Gray slammed the sack on the counter. Mira giggled and opened it. She smiled in approval. "Freshly ground flour," he said, announcing the contents. He reached in his vest and pulled out a small vile. "And I manage to scrap up some honey."

"This is wonderful!" Mira exclaimed. "I'll be able to make bread. But Gray, you really shouldn't steal this stuff."

"Pssh!" Natsu scoffed. "That ain't stealing!" He slapped his sack on the counter. "This is the real gold!" He opened up the bag and smirked. The bag contained fifty or so juicy, red apples.

"You boys outdid yourselves," Mira said. She bowed. "Thank you very much." She grabbed the sacks and took them to the back room, which was used as a storage for food. Unlike many places, they all shared the food they received evenly. That's what made Fairy Tail special.

The doors were once again opened, but a little slower this time. A little girl with long blue hair walked in. Her hair was matted together, mud caked to her face. Her light blue dress looked almost gray with all the dirt. She wore no shoes, but she had cloth wrapped around her little feet. She scampered over to the counter and sat between Gray and Natsu.

"Hey, Squirt," Gray said. He licked his thumb and wiped some dirt off of her cheek. She giggled and swatted his hand away.

"Welcome back, Wendy," Mira said, walking back over.

"You guys will never believe what I got today!" she said happily.

"It can't be better than my apples," Natsu boasted. Gray rolled his eyes.

"It is!" she said. She reached in her dress pocket and pulled out a sack. It wasn't big, but it did contain a lot of something rare. She untied the string and opened the bag. The three around her gasped.

"Is this real?" Gray asked.

"It can't be," Natsu gaped.

"Ch-chocolate?" Mira stuttered. She picked up one of the tiny squares. "Where did you get this from?"

"A kind woman gave it to me," Wendy explained.

"She just gave this to you?" Gray asked. "But she could have gotten so much for it!"

"She told me I should give it to those precious to me," Wendy said with a small smile. "So I'm giving it to you all." She gave a piece to Mira, Natsu, and Gray. Then she went around the make-shift guild and gave everyone a piece. She had just enough to give a piece to everyone but herself.

"Here," Gray said, handing his over.

"But it's for you," Wendy said, holding the chocolate in her small hands.

"I don't really like chocolate," he lied. He loved chocolate. He had it a few times before, and he would nearly kill for it. But he couldn't let his little sister go without some.

"Thanks, Gray!" she cheered. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before sitting down and eating it.

The doors opened once again. A girl known as Levy ran in. "Its raining!" she called. She quickly shut the door and ran inside. Then everyone heard the rain.

"Damn," Gray mumbled. He wanted to go outside, too. When it rained, every person went inside, know matter what social class you were. In the hard times they were facing, medicine wasn't available. If you got the common cold, you would most likely die. Everyone stayed clear of bad weather.

"You should all go to bed," Mira announced. "It would be best to sleep the weather off." Slowly, everyone made their at upstairs. They all lived at the guild. The upstairs was an open space, but everyone still had their own area. The lucky ones had their own hay bales to sleep on. Gray and Natsu were one of the lucky ones.

"At least the crops will get watered," Gray said, taking off his shirt. Natsu agreed and took his off. They then took their pants off, leaving them in their underwear. They handed the clothing to Wendy, who was also just in her underwear bottoms, not needing to wear a corset yet. She took all the clothes over to Mira and helped her wash the clothes. Every night, Mira, Wendy, and a few others washed everyone's clothes. They would lay them out of the floor to dry until morning.

"It's really pouring," Gray said, looking out the whole in the wall. The whole was usually covered by a cloth, but he was holding it aside. He looked down at the streets. He couldn't really see anything. A flash of yellow did catch his eyes, though. He looked closer and saw that it was a woman. Her long blonde hair was swaying behind her. What bothered him, though, was what she was doing.

She was dancing in the rain.

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**So you all need to go to Youtube, and watch this AMV! Too many FEELS! It's the best I've seen yet. It's obviously a Fairy Tail one. So after you type the address for youtube, copy this after the backslash (or check out my profile): watch?v=XoKcVW0q7HI**

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	2. Chapter 2: Rice (5-4)

"Can you guys fill my washing pan?" Mira asked. She was going to wash some plates and bowls from breakfast.

"Leave it to us!" Natsu said, pointing his thumb towards his chest. He went outside, along with Gray and Elfman.

"We better get down to the river. I think our barrels are empty," Elfman said, picking up one of the small barrels. Gray and Natsu each grabbed one. They always needed to get water from the river. If the river wasn't there, all of Magnolia would be in trouble. The water was used for everything from drinking to washing clothes.

"Hey, its that woman," Natsu said, dipping his barrel in the river.

"Huh?" Gray mumbled, lifting his barrel out of the water. He looked across the river and saw the woman who gave Wendy chocolate the week before. She was crouching down beside a few birds, feeding them bread crumbs. It was odd, because no one had spare food to feed animals, endless they would eat them later. Of course, no one gave away chocolate, either. He could see her small smile from under the hood of her cloak.

"Who is it?" Elfman asked. He put a barrel of water on the cart behind him and grabbed an empty one. He always liked to bring a cart and get as much water as possible. A lot of people did this, if they were lucky enough to have a wagon.

"She'a the one who gave Wendy the chocolate," Gray explained. He was watching her carefully. He could see green peaking out of the bottom of her cloak. If he remembered correctly, it wasn't green before. She must have had two dresses. It did make sense. She seemed to be wealthy enough to give chocolate away, so why wouldn't she have multiple articles of clothing?

"I've seen her around before," Elfman said, putting another full barrel on the cart. "Almost everyone in town knows of her. She's always helping people."

"How come I've never heard of her?" Natsu asked.

"If you two actually interacted with people, rather than stealing and running, you would know!" Elfman yelled, hitting both their heads with his fist. They groaned and rubbed their heads.

"Sorry, I'm all out," the woman said. The river wasn't too wide, so they heard her. She had a sweet and kind voice. The birds flew around her flew away and she stood up.

"No one's seen her face, though," Elfman said. He loaded the last barrel. "Well we better get going."

"Wait," Gray said, stretching his hand in front of Elfman's chest. "If she's always giving food away, she's probably starving. We should take her back and give her something to eat."

"Why aren't you Mr. Helpful," Natsu laughed. "But I agree. She was nice enough to help Wendy. We should return the favor."

"Fine," Elfman sighed. "I'm going back to the guild, though. You have to carry your own barrels." He started pushing the heavy wagon away. He had enough muscle to go around, so it was no problem for him.

"Let's go," Gray said. He picked up his barrel and ran towards the small bridge nearby. Natsu grabbed his barrel and ran after him. They didn't have to run far. They crossed the bridge and walked over towards her. When they got to her, she was sitting along the bank, running her hands through the water.

"Excuse me," Natsu said, setting his barrel down.

"Huh?" she mumbled, looking up. She smiled at him. "Hello, what can I help you with?"

"No, no, we don't need your help," Natsu said, waving his hands back and forth. "We want to help _you_."

"Me?" she laughed. "I don't need any help. Thank you, though, sir." She stood up and brushed the dust off her herself. Gray was trying not to laugh about the fact that Natsu was called 'sir.'

"We would like it if you came with us to our guild," Natsu said. We figured you must be hungry, so..." He let his voice trail off, not really sure what else to say.

"I would love to come," she said with another smile. Natsu smiled back.

"My name's Natsu Dragneel," Natsu said, extending his hand.

"Lucy," the woman said, shaking his hand. He noticed how small it was.

"Gray Fullbuster," Gray said, holding his hand up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Lucy said, bowing.

"We better get going," Natsu said. He picked his barrel back up. Lucy nodded and followed him back to the bridge, Gray beside her. A few people gave them weird looks as they passed. The two town delinquites were walking with the unknown, giving woman. It was quite the sight.

"We're back!" Natsu bellowed, slamming the door open. He walked through like any other day. Lucy stepped a little closer to Gray, tugging her cloak tighter around herself. All eyes were on her.

"Thank you guys," Mira said. She took Gray's barrel. "Natsu, will you take that upstairs?" The pinkette nodded and went upstairs.

"Gray!" a woman bellowed. Lucy looked over and saw a woman with brown hair stalking over. She was wearing men's pants and a corset. Lucy was slightly appalled. She wasn't wearing a dress like all woman wore. And on top of that, she wasn't wearing a shirt!

"Hey, Cana," Gray said lazily, sitting down at the bar. Lucy timidly followed his lead.

"Don't 'hey Cana' me!" she yelled, slamming her hand on the counter, getting right in his face. "Its missing!"

"What's missing?" Gray asked, not fazed by her closeness.

"My beer! I had a beautiful bottle, and it's gone!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Lucy was surprised, once again. A woman drank beer. She's never seen that before.

"You drank it last night," Gray sighed, pinching his nose. Cana blinked a few times. She smiled and slapped his back, thanking him. She left as soon as she came.

"Hi, Gray," Wendy said, sitting beside her brother.

"Hey, Squirt." Gray out a hand on her head. She blushed and smiled. She just never got used to the action.

"Romeo found a salamander outside! Mira gave him a little cup of water, but we don't know if it will live," Wendy said. She always told Gray the little things that happen. She looked past him and smiled. "It's you! Thank you again for the chocolate!"

"You're welcome," Lucy said. "Did you give it to those special to you?"

"Uh-huh!" Wendy said happily. Her face dropped, though. "But Gray didn't get a piece. He gave it to me instead."

"That was kind of him," Lucy said. She reached into her cloak. "It just so happens I have another piece." She handed the piece of chocolate to Gray.

"Uh, you don't have to-"

"Nonsense," Lucy said, interrupting him. "Everyone deserves a little happiness."

"Chocolate makes you happy?" Wendy asked.

"Did it make you happy?" Lucy asked. Wendy nodded. "Well there's your answer. Actually, eating chocolate gives you the feeling of being in love. When you ate your piece, did you think of anyone?"

Wendy blushed. "I thought of Gray," she admitted.

"That's because you love him," Lucy said with a smile. She assumed they were siblings.

"Who did you think of, Gray?" Mira asked mischievously, leaning over the counter. She's been trying to get him a girlfriend since he was thirteen.

"I didn't think of anyone," Gray mumbled. He bit his cheek, trying not to blush.

"Of course not," Mira said in a baby voice. "Big Bad Gray is too tough to love someone, huh?" Wendy giggled and hugged his arm.

"He loves me!" Wendy blurted out.

"And how do you know that?" Gray asked, teasing her.

"Because you give me your bread to eat, even if that means you don't eat for the day, just because you don't think I ate enough. That's love!" Wendy exclaimed. Gray smiled and kissed the top of her head. She giggled.

Lucy smiled sadly. She thought that was the sweetest thing in the world. She knew a lot of people didn't have food. She was glad guilds like Fairy Tail existed. Everyone had it rough, but they were all smiling and laughing. That was the best thing to do. Having a poor attitude just made it worse.

"Are you hungry?" Mira asked Lucy.

Lucy shook her head. "I don't want you guys wasting your food on me." She pulled another bag from her cloak and set it in the counter. Her cloak looked a little big on her, but in reality, it was huge. She kept a lot in the many pockets and folds.

Mira opened the bag. "Rice?" she asked.

"That's enough to feed your whole guild two meals," Lucy said. She stood up. "I must be on my way." She started walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Gray called.

Lucy turned back around. "I'll come back tomorrow, okay?" She turned back around and walked away.

Gray slumped in his seat. "Who exactly is she?"

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**I'm glad a lot of people reviewed! **

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	3. Chapter 3: Coffee (5-7)

**Coffee**

True to her word, Lucy returned to the guild the next morning. She cautiously entered. Everyone was sitting around, eating. She smiled when she saw some eating rice. She slowly walked to the bar. She carefully set the cup she was carrying on the counter before sitting down.

"Lucy, you're back," Mira stated, smiling at the hooded girl.

"Good morning, Miss Mira," Lucy said, returning the smile. She looked beside her and saw Gray a few seats down. He looked pretty lost in thought.

Gray was thinking about the blonde girl. Something about her drew him to her. He wasn't sure what it was. He's certainly never seen someone so bold as to dance in the rain, when the consequences could be fatal.

"Hi, Lucy," Wendy said, appearing from the back room, an apple in hand. She went around the bar before sitting next to her brother. He snapped out of his daze and smiled at her, putting a hand on her head.

"Is that your breakfast?" Gray asked, looking at the apple. She nodded and took a bite. "That can't be enough." He handed his piece of bread to her. He only are a few bites of it, so there was still a lot left. Lucy smiled. Wendy was right when she said he gave her food. That really was love.

"They're so cute, aren't they?" Mira asked, following Lucy's gaze. "I can remember when they first came here."

"What happened?" Lucy asked, taking a sip from the liquid in her cup.

"He walked through those doors, bloody and beat up. He was carrying Wendy in his arms. She was perfectly fine and sleeping. We all rushed over to help him. The brat," she laughed. "He yelled at us when we tried to help him. He told us to make sure she was okay and give her something to eat. It was quite the sight."

"He really did that?" Lucy asked, looking back to Gray. She watched Wendy rip off a piece of the bread and hold it out to Gray. He just smiled and opened his mouth. She giggled and fed him. "You can just tell he really loves her."

"They are inseparable," Mira sighed. She looked to Lucy's cup. "What do you have there?"

"Oh, this?" Lucy asked, picking the cup up. "It's coffee." Gray's head snapped over.

"Coffee?" Mira asked.

Lucy nodded and took a sip. She looked over to Gray and giggled. He blushed and looked away. "Do you want some?" she asked. She slid the cup down to him. "Go ahead. I can tell you want some."

Gray hesitantly picked up the cup. He could remember the taste of coffee. His dad would drink it every morning. Any time he tried it, though, he would spit it out. He just never liked the taste. So what possessed him to take a sip? He didn't know himself. The moment the bitter liquid touched his lips, he coughed and set the cup on the counter.

"You don't like it?" Lucy asked. She moved to the seat beside him. "I guess I didn't put sugar or anything in it." She pulled a small vile from her cloak. She poured some of the liquid in. She picked the cup up and swished the liquid around, mixing it.

"What is that?" Wendy asked sweetly.

"It is a mixture of honey, milk, and sugar," Lucy explained. She handed the vile to Wendy "Try a little."

Wendy took the lid off and took a small sip. Her face lit up. "That's really good!" she said. She put the lid back on and looked at the bottle. It was in the shape of a dragon, it's feet and tail wrapped around a cloud. It was truly beautiful.

"It's the Sky Dragon, Grandine," Lucy said.

"Grandine?" Wendy asked, looking up at Lucy.

"They say she is the most beautiful of them all. She uses her magic to heal others, which is rare for dragons. That's why they say she is so beautiful," Lucy explained. Wendy's eyes were glowing. "You know what?" She curled Wendy's little fingers around the bottle. "You keep it."

"A-are you sure?" Wendy asked, a faint blush painting her cheeks.

"I want you to always remember Grandine. Remember that beauty isn't defined by your looks, but the kindness in your heart," Lucy said.

"You're the most beautiful person I know," Wendy said.

"Thank you, Wendy," Lucy said, smiling. She gasped when Wendy hugged her tightly. She smiled faintly and hugged the little girl back. "You know, that is great for sore throats. It's actually natural medicine."

"You know how to make medicine?" Wendy asked, letting Lucy go.

"I can make all sorts of different medicines," Lucy said. "I can teach you, if you want."

"Really?" Wendy asked, grabbing Lucy's hands.

"You can be Fairy Tail's little nurse," Lucy giggled. "You can help people get better, just like Grandine."

"Thanks, Lucy!" Wendy said happily. She looked over and saw her friend, Romeo, entering the guild. "Sorry, but I have to go." She hugged Lucy one more time before running off.

"Thanks for that," Gray said. He watched Wendy talk to Romeo, showing him the vile.

"There's nothing to thank me for," Lucy said, turning to Gray. "It's in my nature to help people." She picked her coffee back up. After taking a sip, she handed it to Gray. "Try it now."

Gray slowly brought the cup to his lips. It wasn't bitter, but very sweet. He hummed in delight when the warm liquid slid down this throat. He heard Lucy giggled. "And what's so funny?" he asked with a smirk.

"You," she laughed. "You looked so happy just now." She took the cup from Gray's hand a took a sip.

"What can I say? It was delicious," Gray laughed. He took the cup back and drank some more.

Lucy giggled in response. She reached out and put her hand on Gray's head. "Your hair is really dirty," she noted.

"Well I don't see your hair looking like sunshine," Gray laughed.

"My hair is very soft," Lucy pouted.

"Prove it," Gray challenged her. Lucy grabbed his hand and brought it close to her face. She guided it to her hair, careful not to reveal any of her face. He felt the strand of hair between his fingers. She was absolutely right. It felt like he was touching a fluffy bunny.

"See?" she giggled. "It's really soft."

"Yeah," Gray awkwardly said, pulling his hand away. He was just playing with a girl's hair. He's never done that before, except for when he was helping Wendy clean her's.

"Gray?" Lucy asked with curiosity laced in her voice. "Mira told me about the day you joined the guild."

Gray cleared his throat. "I have to go," he blurted out. He stood up and quickly stalked out of the guild.

He was mesmerized by the blonde woman he saw. If he dare say, he fell in love at first glance.

So why is he starting to feel something for a girl whom's face he's never even seen?

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**Thanks for all the reviews you've all given me! I think I may actually start writing my next story. It may take a while before the first chapter is up, though, because I have to plan everything. I've been writing a lot more lately, so I have enough time to write three at once. **

**Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Strawberry (5-10)

**Strawberry**

Gray sat at the bar, talking to Wendy. She was telling him about her previous adventure with Romeo. He just loved that she had a best friend to smile with. He loved the fact that she would always have someone there to protect her, even when he couldn't be around. He's already witnessed Romeo giving her his share of bread before. By Wendy's definition, he loves her. He just knew they would end up together someday.

"It's Titania!" someone outside the guild yelled.

_click_

_click_

_click_

The doors to the guild swung open. A woman with long scarlet hair walked inside, her boots clicking with every step. She wore a tattered skirt and a beat-up blouse. She was one of the few 'S-class' in the guild.

A few members of the guild were of merchant class. They didn't sleep at the guild, but at their houses. They always got the good jobs to go on, always getting the best reward. As a joke, everyone called them 'S-class.' Mira was also S-class, but she chose to sleep at the guild.

"Gray! Natsu!" the woman barked. Gray and Natsu scrambled to stand before her. She reached behind her and grabbed two sheathed katanas from the small wagon she drug behind her. She handed the red one to Natsu, and the black one to Gray.

"You got them fixed!" Natsu exclaimed, unsheathing his. He held it up to the light, watching it glimmer.

"Thank you, Erza," Gray said. He just attached his to his side.

"You boys better have gotten food for everyone recently," Erza said, crossing her arms.

"Of course!" Gray and Natsu both called out in unison.

_Creakkkkk_

Since the whole guild was watching the exchange between Natsu, Gray, and Erza, they all heard the door open. Lucy timidly walked inside. She looked around nervously, not sure why everyone was silent. When her eyes fell on Gray, she smiled. He smiled back.

Erza slowly turned around, wondering what Gray was smiling at. "And who are you?" she asked.

"That's Lucy," Natsu explained. "We brought her here a few weeks ago. She stops every day to see Gray." Lucy blushed at his explanation.

"Wait, I've seen you before," Erza noted. She thought for a moment. "You're that woman that is always helping people." Lucy nodded timidly.

"Lucy!" Wendy yelled, running up to the cloaked woman. Lucy smiled when she saw the dragon vile attached to a string around her neck. "I tried your sore throat medicine!" She proudly held up a large vase filled with the mixture. "There was this sick farmer. I told him if he gave me the materials, I could help him. Since it worked, he gave me a bunch of milk, honey, sugar, and this vase!" She held the vase up again.

"Grandine would be proud," Lucy said, putting a hand on Wendy's head. "I should show you how to make medicine to heal cuts sometime. Gray and Natsu have swords, and I wouldn't trust them." Wendy giggled.

"Hey!" Natsu and Gray shouted, hearing what Lucy said. Lucy and Wendy giggled again.

Erza moved to stand in front of Lucy. "I'm very interested in you," she stated. "What class are you? How old are you? Why do you wear that cloak? Why are you so eager to help people? Where are your parents?"

If he was so bold, Gray would have smacked Erza by now. He could see Lucy's eyes swirling in her head, even though he couldn't see anything on her face higher than her lips. He just knew. Thinking quickly, he jumped up and grabbed Lucy's hand. "I need to show you something," he said, running out of the guild.

The two ran through town. A few people cursed at them for almost running into them. Gray just ignored it, while Lucy quickly apologized. When they got to the edge of Magnolia, there was a giant wall. The Kingdom didn't want people leaving the city they live in, so every town had walls surrounding them. Miles and miles of barren land lied between each town.

Gray let Lucy's hand go. He rested it along the wall as he walked. When he felt the familiar crack, he knelt on the ground. He picked at the wall. The cobblestone moved aside. A small hole was formed. "After you," he said, motioning towards the it. Lucy carefully stepped through. He followed after her, closing the path.

"Wow," Lucy gasped. A large meadow was before her. A few butterflies were flying around. Rabbits were hopping about and eating the grass. Off in horizon, the sun was starting to begin its descent.

"It's hard to believe a place like this exists outside our dirty town," Gray said. He started walking forward. Lucy followed close behind. He walked towards a small pond. He's walked the path thousands of times as a child. He sat at the edge of the water. A few koi swam around.

"There's a cool breeze," Lucy noted, sitting down. "It will most likely rain again." She held her hand up to block the sun while she looked at the sky.

"We better not stay too long then," Gray said. He looked at the space between himself and Lucy. He was surprised to see a small vine. On the end was a big, juicy berry. He reached down and touched it, catching Lucy's attention.

"A strawberry?" Lucy asked. "I didn't know they grew by ponds."

"Should we pick it?" Gray asked.

"It will become overripe if we leave it, so yes. There may even be another the next time you come," Lucy said. She carefully plucked the berry off its vine. She handed it to Gray.

"You are way too giving," Gray laughed. He took a bite of the sweet fruit, eating half of it. He handed the other half to her. "We'll share it."

"You say I'm too giving, yet you give your day's food portions to Wendy, even when she's eaten enough," Lucy pointed out. She ate the other half of the strawberry. She hummed in delight when the sweet flavor filled her mouth.

A soft breeze flowed around them. It hit Lucy's hood at just the right angle and knocked it down. She gasped as her silky blonde hair started blowing with the wind. Her big, chocolate brown eyes stared at Gray. He looked equally shocked. She was the woman he saw dancing in the rain.

Over the days Gray spent with Lucy, he began to fall in love with her beautiful personality. She was so kind and caring, always doing what wasn't asked of her. She came by the guild just to talk to him and Wendy, and even goes as far as teaching the young Fullbuster homemade medicine. He didn't care what was under her hood. But finding out that she was so beautiful, he just didn't know what to do. So he did the only thing he could make sense of.

Gray reached out and touched Lucy's face. A light blush dusted her pale cheeks. He rubbed his thumb along the curve of her nose. She was so concentrated by the action, she didn't even notice his face drawing closer to her's. He gently pressed his lips to her's. By the time she registered what happened, he already parted. His face was a good foot away, but his hand remained cupping her thin face.

"Wh-what did you just do?" Lucy nervously. Her face was becoming increasingly red.

"I kissed you," Gray laughed. "Watch, I'll do it again." He pressed his lips to Lucy's once again. She timidly put her arms around his neck. The hand on her face moved to the back of her neck, and he rested his other on her hip.

They were even oblivious when it started to pour moments later. Lucy was running her fingers through his hair, her lips in sinc with his. He had both of his arms wrapped firmly around her waist. They could taste the strawberry on each other's lips, and they loved it. Strawberry was definitely Gray's new favorite taste. Not to mention Lucy's hair smelled like strawberries.

Lucy felt a burning in her chest. It took her a minute to realize that she needed oxygen. She slowly parted from Gray. They were both breathing heavy, trying to make up for lost breath.

"It's raining," Lucy said, looking to the sky. Cool raindrops hit her cheeks, sliding down her face. She looked to Gray and saw that water was dripping from the ends of his hair. She giggled.

"We are going to get sick," Gray laughed. He wasn't sure why he was laughing about that. Getting sick meant you will probably die, since no one could afford medicine.

"Then let's enjoy the rain while we can," Lucy said. She jumped up and grabbed Gray's hands, pulling him with her. She laughed and started spinning around in circles. He was laughing as well. He stopped her by pulling her to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again.

Gray was always taught to fear the rain. He wasn't sure what there was to be afraid of.

Everything was just perfect.

* * *

**Sorry if you all think I rushed their relationship! I really didn't, though. You'll find out why later. And I've been thinking of that scene inside my head before I even wrote the first chapter, so I was a bit excited. **

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5: Shoes (5-12)

_'It's been two weeks. Did I do something wrong? Was I too forward? Why didn't she stop me if she didn't like me? She could have gotten sick. But she can make medicine, so she wouldn't die from it. But why didn't I get sick? I was out in the rain for a while. I guess I shouldn't complain. I could be dying right now. Actually, I think I am. Why hasn't she stopped by again?'_ Gray groaned and slammed his head against the counter.

"What's wrong with Gray?" Erza asked from the other end of the bar.

"He's been like this for a couple weeks now," Levy said.

"Do you think it's because Lucy hasn't stopped by?" Lisanna asked.

"Well there is chemistry between them, Mira noted.

"We need to cheer him up," Cana said. "Let's find him-"

"No beer!" the other girls shouted, interrupting the brunette. Cana just shrugged and took a sip of her water, wishing it were beer.

_Bam!_

The doors to the guild slammed open. Natsu came limping in. He had more dirt than usual caked to himself. It looked like his left ankle was bothering him. He stomped over to the bar the best he could and slammed his katana down, wincing when the force made his shoulder sting.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Mira gasped, running over. Lisanna quickly helped him sit down. Levy ran over with a pale of water, and Wendy with a clothe. The two girls started wiping dirt and blood off of his arms and face.

"Damn Royals," he mumbled. He winced when they wiped a sore spot.

"What did they do this time?" Cana asked. She handed him a glass bottle of water. He drank it in one swig.

"I was walking down the street and they jumped me!" he yelled, slamming the bottle on the counter. It rattle a moment before settling down.

"I told you your reputation would catch up to you," Elfman chuckled.

"That had nothing to do with it!" Natsu exclaimed. "They told me my hair looked stupid! That was their reason! Bastards," he mumbled the last part under his breath.

"And now you know why you don't dry attention to yourself," Lisanna said.

"Yeah, Natsu, you have to live the way they want you to," Mira added.

"Like cattle?" Natsu scoffed.

"Take a small job a week, eat your share of food, don't cause trouble, be home by curfew, and don't stand out. That's how this world works," Levy said. She dunked her clothe in the bucket of water.

"And don't get close to anyone," Gray added. He abruptly stood up and went upstairs.

"Damn, what's up his ass?" Natsu laughed. Erza smacked his head. He grunted in pain and rubbed the spot. The girls all giggled.

X

"Gray, let's go on a job!" Wendy said happily, holding a paper in her brother's face. It's been two days since Natsu came home with injuries. She wanted to cheer Gray up, so she found an easy job. Thankfully, he can't say no to his baby sister.

"Let's see the damage," he said, taking the paper. She giggled. "It looks like we just have to water this guy's field. And it looks like he'll give us a pair of shoes. That's good, because you're are going bad."

"Gray!" Wendy whined, bouncing with her hands against his knees. "You don't even have shoes! You need them!"

"I don't have a dress either, but you're not complaining about that," he pointed out.

"I don't want to see you in a dress," she giggled.

"So you want to see him without-"

Gray put his hand on Natsu's mouth. Wendy titled her head in confusion. She wasn't sure what Natsu was going to say. She just shrugged and took the paper to Mira.

"Idiot," Gray mumbled, grabbing Natsu by the hair and slamming his head against the counter. "Don't say things like that in front of her. She's seven!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Natsu laughed.

"C'mon, Gray!" Wendy yelled, running towards the door. He sighed and ran after her.

After walking a short distance, the two Fullbuster's reached the farm. An old, short man was waiting on his porch. He smiled in greeting. "The water is already behind the barn. For whom are the shoes?" he asked.

"Thank you for the job, sir," Gray said, bowing. "The shoes are for my sister here, Wendy." He put his hands on Wendy's shoulders and gently pushed her forward.

"Such a kind brother," the old man said with a smile. "I will need to size her feet."

"Actually, I'll be doing all the work, so you can just keep her with you," Gray said. He put his hands in his pockets and started walking to the field.

"Why don't you come inside?" the old man asked. "I have a granddaughter about your age. You guys can play until your brother is done."

"Thank you, sir!" Wendy said with a big smile.

X

Gray set the barrel of water down, wiping the sweat from his forehead. After three hours, all of the crops were watered. It was almost dusk. He made his way towards the house. He was going to the thank the man then quickly head home. He never liked being out after dark.

When Gray got to the house, he saw two Royals walking down the road, a knight in front of them. He rolled his eyes. Royals always enjoyed walking through the cities, laughing at all the poor people. They always had a knight, too. If they were really so great, they wouldn't need someone else to protect them. That's what Gray thought, at least.

"What are you looking at?" one of the Royals snapped. Gray flinched, realizing he was caught staring. He didn't mean to stare. He was just lost in thought.

"Sorry, sir," Gray said, bowing, remembering his manners.

"A smart-ass, huh?" the other Royal asked. He motioned towards the knight, who drew his sword. "I don't like wise-asses, kid."

"I didn't mean-" Gray tried to speak. He stopped talking when the knight put the sword against his neck. He didn't even notice the armed man move.

"Hey, you're one of those Faries," the first Royal sneered. The knight tightened his grip on the sword.

"He's not just any Fairy," the other Royal pointed out. "He's one of the ones that steal from people."

"Arrest him," one Royal said, turning around.

"Of course," the knight said. He slammed Gray on the ground so fast the Fullbuster didn't see it coming.

"Gray!" Wendy yelled, running down the stairs to the porch.

"Go home!" Gray yelled. He groaned when one of the Royals stepped on his back. "Get out of here!"

"Aw, is that your wittle sister?" the Royal asked in a baby voice. He dug his heal into Gray's back. He laughed when Gray called out in pain.

"Let's go," the other Royal said. He was enjoying the scene, but he didn't want to draw attention to them.

"Fine." The pressure from Gray's back was relieved as he stepped off.

"No, Gray!" Wendy cried as her brother was taken away.

X

Gray didn't know whether to feel amazed or pissed. He was definitely pissed, considering he was arrested. But he was walking through the castle where the king and queen live. The dungeon was kept in the basement, so he got to walk through the impressive building. Everything had such detail. It almost made him forget the firm hands holding his wrists so tight he thought his hands would pop off.

Suddenly, he heard laughing.

The knight holding his wrists started chuckling. "Those kids," he laughed. Gray was going to ask what kids, but he didn't think that was the best option.

An intersection of hallways came into view. The laughing seemed louder, as well.

"St-op!" a woman yelled, her voice broken with laughter. Gray felt his body go numb.

Then, two figures burst through the adjacent hallway. The first was a woman with blonde hair, the second a man with long black hair. The woman laughed and turned around. The man just laughed and hugged her around the waste. She sighed and leaned into him, her laughter slowly dimming.

"Princess, Sir," the knight said as they reached the pair.

Slowly, the beautiful woman that was just said to be a princess looked up. Her eyes widened.

"G-Gray?" she asked.

"Lucy," Gray sighed in both relief, disbelief, and pain.

* * *

**Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6: Lead Pipes (5-15)

"Lucy?" Gray asked, jerking forward slightly.

"What are you going on about?" the knight asked, pulling Gray back. Gray snapped his head to the knight, shocked. He looked back to the hallway with wide eyes.

Lucy was gone.

No, she was never there.

He was going insane.

"Get moving," the knight said, making Gray walked again.

Gray was in too much of a daze to notice where he was going. He just let his feet move on their own. The knight would lead him, anyways. He just couldn't figure who was with Lucy. He understood that his brain just conjured up the scenario, but the man had to come from somewhere. He knew for a fact he's never seen him before, so he was wondering if Lucy knew him. If so, why were they hugging so tightly? He felt his heart ache just at the thought.

"Don't just stand there," the knight said, pushing Gray into a cell. Gray fell to the ground with a _thud_, not expecting to be pushed so roughly. He looked behind him and saw the knight walking off, the door latched shut.

"Gihi."

Gray's eyes widened. The voice was cold and deep. He slowly looked behind him, still kneeling on the ground. The cell had a bunk bed against one wall, a small basin against the other. The back corner was covered in shadows.

"So you're the new guy," the voice said, cold as ice.

Gray shivered. He's never heard such a tone before, and he was honestly frightened. "Wh-who are y-you?" he stuttered out.

Slowly, a figure emerged from the shadows. The man was tall and built. He had rough hair that fell down his back. Iron studs were planted in his face, ears, and arms. He wore a tatted pair of trousers, no shoes, and no shirt. He cracked his knuckles, his chest muscles rippling. Gray fell back on his butt, shaking slightly. The man wasn't as big as Elfman, but he sure was tougher looking.

"The name's Gajeel Redfox, gihi," the man laughed. His face was twisted with a cruel smirk. "What's your name, Twinkle-Toes?"

"Gray Fullbuster," Gray said, extending his hand. When Gajeel made no move to shake it, he put the hand through his hair, acting like he planned on doing that all along.

"I beat someone to death with an iron pipe," Gajeel admitted.

"Th-that's nice," Gray mumbled. He was with a lunatic. That was just his luck.

"Well, what did you do?" Gajeel asked. He swooped down and picked Gray up by his shirt. He was lifted two feet off the ground.

Gray felt a bead of sweat drip down his forehead. He couldn't look weak in front of his cell-mate, let alone someone like Gajeel. He couldn't say he was respectful to a knight. That would just make Gajeel want to throw him against a wall.

_"Princess, Sir.__"_

Gray suddenly remembered his hallucination. The knight called Lucy 'princess.' It didn't matter if he was telling the truth. He just needed to get out of prison alive.

"I-I tried to kidnap the princess," Gray lied through his teeth. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if there was a princess of Fiore. He never really payed attention to politics.

Gajeel suddenly dropped Gray. Luckily, the latter landed on his feet. "You almost stole the princess?" Gajeel repeated. G

ray felt his mouth go dry. He nodded slowly. A wide grin stretched across Gajeel's face.

"You're okay in my book, Kid," Gajeel said, patting Gray's back.

"Dinner!" a knight roared as he walked down the long stretch of cells.

"Looks like it's time to eat, gihi."

X

"Princess, would you like me to braid your hair?" Aries asked timidly, brushing Lucy's blonde hair until it was silky smooth.

"You don't have to, Aries," Lucy said with a smile. "I think I'll leave it down tonight."

"Princess, is this acceptable?" Virgo asked, holding up a dress. It was a light gray princess dress with silver trimming.

"That's perfect!" Lucy beamed. She owns so many dresses she hasn't even seen them all, the gray dress included. She eagerly got up from her chair and ran behind her changing screen.

"You're too eager, Princess," Loke asked. He was laying on her bed, playing with a ball of yarn. It wasn't proper for a butler to do so, but he didn't really care. Lucy didn't seem to mind, either.

"What do you think?" Lucy asked, coming out from behind the changing screen. She twirled around and giggled. Loke sat up in her bed and smiled.

"You look beautiful, princess," Loke said.

_Knock Knock_

Virgo walked over and opened the door. A man with black hair stood on the other side. He was wearing a brown tunic with slightly darker leggings, proper attire for royalty. He smiled when he saw Lucy.

"Hey, Rogue," Lucy said, not bothering to be proper with him. She went over to her mirror and smoothed down her hair.

"You look pretty, Lucy," Rogue said, making the blonde blush. He also didn't bother to use her proper title.

"Sir Rogue," Virgo, Aries, and Loke said at once, bowing. Rogue was the heir to one of the noble families in Fiore, and also betrothed to Lucy, the heir to the kingdom.

"Okay, let's go eat. I'm starving!" Lucy said cheerfully, hugging Rogue's arm. She wouldn't dare be caught in the hallway with Rogue not holding his arm. It was the proper thing to do, after all.

"You're sleeping attire will be ready when you return, Princess," Aries said.

"As will your room cleaned, Princess," Aries added.

"Thank you," Lucy said. She put her head up, almost like she was better than everyone else, which she really was, by definition.

While Lucy walked arm-in-arm with Rogue, she couldn't help but think about Gray. She felt bad for not visiting him for a couple weeks. She couldn't find a chance to sneak out. The only person that knew about her visits to town was Loke. He even knew about Gray. Loke usually took care of Lucy's duties secretly so she could leave, but he wasn't able to recently. She just hoped he was okay.

"Sting is waiting for us in the dining hall," Rogue said, breaking the silence. Sting was Rogue's younger twin by ten minutes. Sadly, those ten minutes meant that Rogue would marry Lucy and get to rule Fiore someday. Not a day passed when he didn't wishing that Sting was born first. He loved Lucy, but he was too kind to rule. You had to have an iron fist. He didn't have a speck of iron in his veins.

"Get your food then go back to your cell!" a knight barked.

Lucy and Rogue looked ahead and saw all the prisoners. Their hands were all roped together, only a few inches of room to move them. They always lined up at a window off the kitchen, got a bento box, then went to their cells. Knights always lined the hallways, so they could go back themselves. They actually had a special kitchen, as well. Food for criminals couldn't be prepared the same place as royalty.

Lucy recognized all of the faces. She's seen the prisoners when they got their food countless times. She's even talked to some of them. She saw the man with the brown hair to his waist. He always said he didn't want his hair cut. His wife would always cut it for him, and she would cut it when he got out. It was sweet, really. She saw the man with messy red hair and onyx eyes. He was the one that killed his wife. He said it was an accident, though. He was working in the field on day. She came up behind him. He whipped around to see who was there and drove his hoe right through her stomach. For some reason, Lucy believed him. He even said he had a son in Magnolia. Lucy never thought to ask his name. She could find him and tell him about his father. She was really fond of the man. His name was Igneel, named after the old legend of the fire dragon.

Lucy cringed when she saw the man with long black hair. Gajeel, if she remembered. She heard he beat someone to death with a lead pipe. She just couldn't imagine it. He was actually the reason she hasn't went to Oak Town since she was fourteen. She couldn't believe the size of him, either. He was huge! He muscles ripped three different ways every time he moved. It made everyone near him look weak, even though none of the prisoners were.

She blinked.

There was someone standing beside Gajeel. He looked smaller than the other prisoners, but he didn't look weak. He could probably cause her some damage. She noticed his ink hair. It made her heart ache. His hair was like Gray's.

Then the prisoner turned around, bento in his hand.

Lucy's heart stopped.

The dark blue eyes, ink hair, defined jaw line, and even the clothes she last saw Gray in. She couldn't believe that it was him. Gray wasn't a criminal. She had to make sure it wasn't him, though. But if it was, she would also be glad. She would finally get to see him again. She decided that she would visit the cells later that night. Of course, she would bring Loke. There was no way she was going in the dungeon by herself.

"Lucy, are you coming?" Rogue asked, gently nudging Lucy.

"Right, sorry," Lucy apologized.

She looked over her shoulder at Gray one last time before she entered the dining hall.

* * *

**The last chapter was really a teaser, huh? I'm pretty cruel, making that an allusion. So I made it up to you by having Lucy see Gray first. **

**Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Princess (5-17)

"Alright, you better go to bed, Princess," Loke said. Lucy just changed into one of her silk nightgowns. Virgo and Aries already left the room, by Lucy's request, so he just had to wait for her to go to bed so he could leave himself.

"Actually," Lucy said, her voice trailing off.

"What is it, Princess?" Loke asked.

"Can we go somewhere?" Lucy asked quickly. She braced herself for Loke's rant on why they weren't suppose to go anywhere at night.

"Where do we have to go?" Loke asked, surprising Lucy. He knew something was bothering her, though. Ever since she came back from dinner, she's been acting strange. He really wanted to know why.

"The dungeon," Lucy whispered as if the word was taboo.

"What?" Loke gasped. "Why? How? What?"

"Please," Lucy begged. She needed to see Gray.

"Very well," Loke sighed. "Please, stay behind me, though, Princess."

"Thank you!" Lucy cheered, jumping at Loke. He barely caught her. She only hugged him a few seconds before running towards the door.

"Princess, shouldn't you change first?" Loke asked worriedly before opening the door. Her nightgown was borderline lingerie, after all. "If someone were to see you..."

"Loke!" Lucy snapped. "We need to get going!" She opened the door herself and started walking towards the dungeon. Loke's eyes widened. Ladies were not suppose to open doors themselves! He quickly ran after her.

With Lucy practically running, it didn't take long for the two to reach the dungeon. Loke lit a candle and led the way. Most of the prisoners were sleeping, so Lucy didn't feel uncomfortable with what she was wearing. She briefly looked into each cell, looking for Gray. It didn't take Loke long to realize that she was looking for someone. Eventually, she found the cell with Gajeel in it. He was, surprisingly, leaning against the wall, right beside the bars to the cell, rather than sitting in his corner. Right across from him was Gray.

"Gray!" Lucy gasped. She latched onto the bars.

From inside the cell, Gray's eyes widened. He slowly looked over to the bars of the cell. His eyes widened further when he saw Lucy. He ran over to the bars and wrapped his hands around Lucy's. He didn't even notice what she was wearing. He was too busy wondering how she was with him.

Lucy looked over her shoulder to Loke. "Open the door," she said.

"I can't do that," Loke said quietly.

"Do it!" Lucy snapped. Loke fumbled to take a key from his pocket. Lucy and Gray moved away from the door as he opened it. The second it was unlocked, she pulled the door open. She wound her arms around Gray's waist.

"Lucy, you're actually here," Gray mumbled, running a hand through her hair.

"Why are you in jail?" she asked worriedly.

Gray totally forgot Gajeel was in the area, and that he previously lied to him. "I called some knights 'sir' and they thought I was being a smart-ass," Gray laughed. "And I guess the one knew me from around town."

"You're such an idiot," Lucy said happily. She was almost glad he was sent to jail. Since it wasn't something serious, she just considered it an opportunity to see him.

"What the hell?" Gajeel asked, taking a step forward. Lucy looked up at him with wide eyes. She was so close to him. She hugged Gray tighter. "What is the Princess doing here?"

"Princess?" Gray asked. He looked down at Lucy.

Lucy opened her mouth, but closed it again. "We can't talk here," she sighed. She looked over to Loke with pleading eyes.

"I am an official knight," Loke said with a smirk. Lucy smiled wide. That meant he could take Gray somewhere. He took a rope out of his pocket and tied it around Gray's wrist. "I don't know your relationship, but I'm guessing you know each other from Princess' visits to the different towns. Follow me. I'll take you guys to the gardens."

"Lucky bastard," Gajeel mumbled under his breath as the doors to the cell were closed.

X

Lucy watched Loke's retreating form. He walked them to the gardens and promised them to be back in an hour.

"Lucy," Gray said. She looked back at him. He gently grabbed her face with his large hands. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you knew," she croaked out. "At first I had to hide it. I can't let people know I am the Princess. But when you saw my face in the meadow...I thought you knew."

"You should know by now that I don't pay attention," Gray laughed. He rested his forehead against her's. "And for the record, I don't care if you are the Princess. I hate all the Royals, but you are different. I can just tell that you are not like any of them."

"Thank you," Lucy said happily. She put her arms around his neck and gently pressed her lips to his. He moved his hands to her waist. She blushed, remembering what she was wearing. She carefully pulled away from him. "Gray, you need to know something."

"Tell me anything," Gray said, kissing her again. He put her face to his chest, hugging her tightly.

"I'm engaged," she admitted.

"I knew that," he laughed.

"And you're okay with that?" she asked skeptically.

"Hell no," he snapped. "How am I suppose to marry you when you are already engaged?"

Lucy nodded, not really thinking about what he said.

But then she thought about it.

And thought about it.

And thought about it...

"Gray!" Lucy gasped, pushing away from him. "Don't say things like that!"

"I'm just teasing you," Gray laughing, kissing the top of her head. "Luce?"

"What is it?" Lucy mumbled against his chest.

"How about instead of taking me back to my cell, you just let me go to your room?" Gray asked. "I'm used to sleeping with someone next to me."

"What about Gajeel?" Lucy asked with a serious tone. She lost it, though, and started laughing. He laughed with her.

"Okay, but seriously, I won't be able to sleep at all," he said.

"If you get caught, I swear-" Lucy's rant was stopped by Gray's lips.

And nearby behind a bush, Loke smiled. He was glad Lucy found someone that didn't care if she was rich or not, and loved her just the same.

X

"Princess?" Aries asked, knocking on the door. Virgo was beside her, patiently waiting for permission to enter. When Lucy didn't speak, they assumed she was still sleeping and let themselves in her room. The moment they closed the door, they looked to her bed and gasped.

Lucy was laying on the bed in a man's arms. Loke was sitting in a chair beside the bed, staring at the two. He noticed their presence and looked to them.

"Loke, what is going on?" Aries asked worriedly. "Who is this man, and why is he here? It isn't proper for a lady to sleep with someone-"

"Aries, Virgo," Loke said, interrupting Aries' rant. "Listen, Princess Lucy has been sneaking out to the different towns of Fiore for quite some time now. I've covered for her every time. She wants to see life outside the castle herself so she can one day lead her people properly. She already sees mistakes in King Jude and Queen Layla's ruling."

"Loke!" Virgo gasped. "Don't speak ill of the King and Queen!"

"I wasn't speaking ill of them," Loke snapped. "That's what Princess Lucy thinks. Now let me finish." Virgo and Aries sighed, letting him continue. "She met this man out in her many travels. He was sent to prison for something that isn't even a big deal. I let him out of his cell to talk to Lucy, and they wanted to spend more time together. Just let them be and don't tell anyone, alright?"

"It's so sweet," Aries said with a smile. She sat on the edge of Lucy's bed. "What's his name?"

"Gray," Loke answered, looking at the pair. Gray was protectively holding Lucy like he would never let her go, and just the thought was ridiculous. Loke was sure he's never seen Lucy look so peaceful.

Virgo realized something. "What about Sir Rogue?" she asked.

"There's nothing we can do," Loke said.

"More importantly, what about King Jude?" Aries asked.

Loke look over to Lucy again with sad eyes. King Jude would not be pleased. He may even put Gray to death. That would break Lucy's heart.

For now, they would just have to enjoy the time they have together.

* * *

**So I thought about making Gray angry and ignore Lucy, but _Julijulgran_ suggested otherwise. So that little garden seen was for you, _Julijugran!_ **

**Please Review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Trial (5-27)

Lucy ran down the halls as fast as she could. Her curled hair was starting to fall out of her perfect bun, but she didn't care. She was holding the folds of her dress with one hand, her shoes with the other.

She was to be helping with trials, but she was running a little late. Gray's trial was going to be third. She just had to see him beforehand. She felt sad just thinking about telling him goodbye.

_"Lucy, that's not how you play," Gray laughed. _

_"Really?" Lucy asked, looking at the cards. "I thought it was."_

_"You are such an idiot sometimes," Gray laughed, picking up all the cards. _

_The two were in one of the hundreds of guest rooms in the castle, playing cards. The room became their own secret hideout over the past few weeks of Gray being in prison. They even had Virgo and Aries bring them lunch. Lucy couldn't get out of breakfast and dinner, but she could lunch. _

_"If I'm such an idiot, maybe I'll say you're guilty," Lucy said, crossing her arms. _

_"Then do it," Gray said in a serious tone. _

_"Gray," Lucy gasped.__"I'm just kidding," Gray laughed. He got up from his chair and grabbed Lucy'a wrist, pulling her over to the couch in the room. She sat down with her in his lap._

_She just leaned__ against him and sighed. _

Lucy shook the thought from her head and ran faster. She was beginning to see the large wooden doors leading to the trial room. She saw Rogue standing outside looking very worried.

"Luce, where have you been?" he asked when she was in hearing range.

"Sorry, I was in the gardens and lost track of time," Lucy lied. She put a hand on Rogue's shoulder to balance herself as she put her shoes back on.

"Your hair is a little messed up," Rogue said. He moved a few strands of her hair, trying to make it look a little better. "It's okay, you're beautiful no matter what." Lucy blushed at the compliment. He pushed her chin up so she was looking at him and smiled. He leaned down to kiss her.

"We should hurry," Lucy quickly said, dodging the kiss. She felt weird kissing him now that she had Gray. Before she didn't really care. She's never loved Rogue, even if just a little, but would always go along with it to please her parents. It seemed like Rogue really loved her, though.

"Okay, let's go," Rogue said skeptically. He pulled open the door and let Lucy walk in front of him.

"You two are late," a knight whispered. He took his place in front of them. "It's already time for the third trial."

"A thousand apologies," Rogue said.

"Of course," the knight said.

Lucy let out a shakey breath. She made it just in time for Gray's trial. She sat down on her throne beside her mother. Rogue sat beside Lucy. Jude was on the other side of Layla.

"Now for the trial of Gray Fullbuster of Magnolia," a knight announced. The doors opened and Gray entered, a knight in front and behind him.

"Proceed," Jude said with a board expression. To him, it was just another trial. But to Lucy it meant so much more.

"This man is being charged with treason," another knight announced. Gray's eyes widened. He looked to Lucy. She looked just as shocked.

"Guilty," Jude said, waving his hand. "Next case."

"Wait!" Lucy blurted out, standing up.

"What is it?" Jude asked through grit teeth.

"Shouldn't you hear his side of the story? You didn't hear any details," she explained.

"Treason is treason, Dear," Layla said.

"But what if it wasn't treason?" Lucy asked.

"Luce," Rogue said quietly but threateningly. "Sit down."

"Isn't the point of a trial to be fair?" Lucy asked, completely ignoring Rogue. "If you weren't going to hear details, you might as well save everyone the trouble by reading papers instead."

"After this case, Lucy, you are relieved of your duties if the court room. And if anyone repeats of this one special exception, they are put to death, no questions asked. Let the prisoner speak," Jude said. Lucy tried to contain her smile as she sat down.

"Thank you, King Jude," Gray said, bowing the best he could. "I was speaking to a few knights. To be honest, I didn't want to get in any trouble, so I figured I should use manners. I addressed them as 'sir.' They thought I was mocking them and arrested me."

"Since you are so eager for this case, I'll let you and Rogue decide this, Lucy," Jude said, letting out a yawn.

Lucy looked to Rogue with hopeful eyes. Rogue saw that Lucy obviously cared about the fate of the prisoner. He wasn't sure why, though. But nonetheless, he wanted Lucy to be happy.

Roge cleared his throat. "We believe the prisoner has committed no act of treason." He realized that he still had to do something to assert his athority and show Jude that he could make logical decisions. "But I think he should be fined. He stayed in jail for a few weeks. We fed him and he took up space. We also had to go through the trouble of court."

"That's fair," Jude said. "He will pay us six-hundred gold pieces. Case dismissed."

Lucy let a guard lead her out of the room. Loke was waiting on the other side.

"How did it go?" Loke asked. He could see the worried look on Lucy's face.

"He's innocent," Lucy said. "But he has to pay a fine. How is he going go pay it? Even if the whole guild helped out..."

Loke smiled sadly. "He'll go home tonight, so you can go see him tomorrow in Magnolia. You may be able to help him out a little. Don't worry, we'll figure something out."

Lucy smiled, knowing Loke was right.

* * *

**I'm sorry I haven't updated lately! I have a whole list of reasons, actually. My birthday was last week and I had parties for that, finals and state tests are coming up, and I just didn't have time to write! So please forgive me! And until further notice, I will only be updating once a week! **

**And in other news...**

**I made a Facebook page! I'll give you guys updates, share cool pictures, and just interact with you guys on a whole new level. The link is on my profile or you can search my username and the page will come up. I know you guys liking it will kind of take the whole "anonymous" thing away from FanFiction, but let's be honest. I'm just a nerd with no life. I in no way know how to hack, nor do I have the desire to. I'm really no threat to you guys. Besides, I'm a (now) fifteen-year-old girl. What am I going to do? **

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9: Home (6-7)

The doors to Fairy Tail slammed open. Everyone turned, only to see two knights standing there. The one threw Gray on the floor. He slid a few feet.

"You better be grateful that King Jude was so kind," the knight said. He spit at Gray before going back to his carriage, not bothering to close the guild doors.

"Gray!" Wendy cried, running over.

Everyone seemed to go into action. Mira and Lisanna quickly got a bucket with water and a cloth. A few people worked to hold Natsu back from running after the guards. Levy quickly shut the guild doors before going to help Mira and Lisanna. Wendy was crying, hugging Gray's arm. Gray barely managed to sit up. Since he seemed to be _so_ popular with the kingdom, the knights thought it would be fun to beat him to a bloody pulp before releasing him. Thankfully Loke came through and stopped them, making up some excuse for them to stop.

"Gray, you just got arrested," Natsu said calmly, finally calming down. He sat down beside Gray.

"Yeah," Gray sighed. He winced as Mira hit a bruise on his arm. She quickly apologized before continuing with cleaning him up. "It was all a big understanding." He smiled when he saw that Wendy was wearing the shoes he earned.

"So?" Makarov asked, strolling over. "How much?"

"What are you talking about?" Levy asked.

"The kingdom just wouldn't let him go," Erza explained. "They must have given you a fine."

"Six hundred," Gray sighed. "I have thirty days."

"If we all work together, we will probably be able to do it in fourteen!" Natsu said, getting 'fired up.'

"Not silver," Gray said, looking to the floor. Everyone's eyes widened. "It's gold."

"Why so much?" Lisanna gasped.

"I was being accused of treason. I would have been killed if L-" He caught his tongue before he could say something he was going to regret. He sighed. "The King was very kind."

"We'll figure something out," Mira said. "We could all-"

Before Mira could continue, the doors to the guild slammed open. In a split second Lucy was hugging Gray, practically sitting on his lap. No one knew she could run that fast.

"Gray, I'm so sorry!" she cried. Everyone could hear her sobs.

"It's not your fault," Gray said, hugging her tightly to his chest. He was sort of glad that he could see her in the real world. It was never fun at the castle, just because of the simple fact that he would have to return to his cell at any given moment.

"If I would have known that Ro-"

Gray casually put his hand over her mouth. Everyone thought he was just try to make her stop talking so she would stop crying, but he couldn't have her give away her identity.

"You know guys, I'm feeling much better," Gray said. He let go of Lucy and staggered to his feet. "I think it's about time I went on a mission. I need to start earning that money somehow, right?"

"Gray, don't be so rash!" Cana yelled, slapping him across the face. She tightly hugged him and said in a low voice, "We just got you back."

Gray looked around and, for the first time, looked at everyone's faces. They were all either crying, shocked, or smiling. And those smiling had fear and sadness in their eyes. He removed Cana from himself. He reached down and grabbed Lucy's hand, pulling her off the floor. He turned around and started walking towards the stairs leading upstairs. Everyone watched in shock. "When I come back down, Wendy better have a job request in her hands, ready to go," he said in a threatening voice.

"Gray, why do you want to go out so bad?" Lucy asked, looking around. She's never seen where people slept before. She found it odd how there were random stacks of things, some with hay beside them. She almost felt guilty about sleeping in a bed every night.

"Even though they don't show it, they all want to go out on jobs, too," Gray said, sitting down on his stack of hay. "That's how Fairy Tail is. We don't mess around. When we get the chance to help out, we do it without hesitation. It doesn't matter how beaten up you are; you go. We even had someone go before when they had a high fever. Actually, the second they came back they collapsed on the floor. They died the next day. They overworked themselves and died. It's just how this world works. And Fairy Tail isn't afraid of the system."

"I was always taught that guilds were bad," Lucy admitted, sitting beside Gray. "My father told me that the stupid and violent people went there."

"We are pretty stupid," Gray laughed.

"But he never said that you guys are the kindest and have been through the most," Lucy continued. "You guys sleep on the floor or on hay. You have to take little jobs just to survive, and you never keep your earnings to herself. It's really you guys who should be running Fiore." She brought her knees up to her chest. "You know, I actually started coming out to towns because of a guild. When I was younger, my father took me out on a carriage to see the world. That's all I wanted for my birthday when I was younger. I now know that he showed me the most violent town, just so I would never want to leave the castle. But in the middle of all the violence, I saw a guild. Kids were outside playing and laughing. The adults seemed happy, too. I guess it made me want to seek out the good in this world."

Gray reached over and flipped Lucy's hood off of her head. "You know, everyone in this world hates Royals. They all hate the King and Queen the most. And I'm sure they hate you just the same," he said. "But I feel like you can change that. You are so kind and you listen. You'll make a great Queen someday."

"What if I said that I want you to be the King?"

Before Gray could ask what she meant, Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He blushed, processing what she just said. Then he smiled and kissed her back.

"Gray, we found you a request!"

Gray quickly pushed Lucy away and flipped her hood back up. She giggled and pulled it down further. Natsu walked over, holding a piece of paper in his hands. Wendy was sitting on his shoulders.

"You get three gold pieces. It's an S-class, so you would have to have Erza or someone come with you," Natsu explained. "You have to go get supplies for a shoemaker in one town, but go to another to get it."

"Erza doesn't have to come," Lucy blurted out.

"It's an S-class," Natsu reminded them. "Of course she does."

Lucy took a deep breath. "I'm an S-class." She was lying, but it didn't matter. She was Princess Lucy! She could go from town to town if she wanted to! "I travel towns all the time." She honestly wasn't sure how she was allowed to travel towns. She never showed any identification.

"Yeah, she does," Gray supported.

"Yay! Lucy's coming!" Wendy cheered, happily hitting Natsu's head.

"Will you meet us downstairs, Wendy?" Lucy asked.

"Okay!" Wendy chirped. She hit Natsu's head again. "Go downstairs!" Natsu mumbled something under his breath and started walking downstairs.

"I have a few things for you," Lucy said, pulling a sack from her cloak. She opened it up and pulled out a small bag. "It isn't much, but I'll bring more later." She handed it to Gray.

Gray could feel that it was heavy. When he opened it, his eyes widened. "Lucy," he choked out.

"Like I said, I could only get a little bit," she repeated. "It's only thirty, but-"

Gray interrupted Lucy by kissing her. "You didn't have to," he said. He hid the small sack filled with gold under his hay.

"I have something else, too," she said, grabbing his shirt sleeve. "Well, it's really from Virgo, but I helped her." She handed the original sack to Gray.

Gray reached inside and felt fabric. He pulled out a shirt. It was tan colored and had lacing on the chest. The sleeves would reach his elbow. He reached in the bag again and pulled out a pair of a pants that was a darker shade of tan.

"Virgo made those," Lucy said. She pulled out the next thing, which was a light purple dress. It had white as the second color. "I made this for Wendy. I told Virgo about your little sister, and she insisted that we make her something, too."

"Lucy, I really don't know what to say." Gray was in complete shock. It would cost at least two gold pieces just to get Wendy a dress. But she also got him an outfit. He just couldn't believe it.

"You could say thank you," she said with a smile, pulling the last object from her sack. It was a pair of leather boots.

"Thank you a million times," Gray said, leaning in to kiss her.

"Gray, get your ass-" Levy stopped talking when she saw that Gray and Lucy were about to kiss. They were actually frozen in place, pretty shocked. "Aw! When did you to get together!" she squealed, running over.

Lucy finally reacted. She screeched and jumped back, her face completely red. Gray was laughing. That is, until her hood fell down. He reached forward to flip it up as fast as possible, but Levy already saw.

"Oh my god!" Levy yelled, covering her mouth. She fell to her knees.

"Levy, don't tell anyone," Gray blurted out.

"Of all people, how are you the most calm about this?!" Levy yelled, pointing a finger at Gray. "How the hell can you be okay with this?!"

"Levy, stop," Gray said in a threatening tone, clenching his fists.

"You hold the brightest torch of hate for the Royals!" Levy continued to yell. "I can't believe that you would accept this! I mean, they killed your-"

"Levy!" Gray snapped. "I said to stop!"

Lucy could see Gray shaking. She reached out and grabbed his arm. He seemed to calm down after that.

"I saw her face before I go arrested," Gray explained. "I've never seen the Royal Family, so I didn't know she was the Princess. She came to me when I was locked up. That's when I learned the truth. I'm okay with it because I know that she would never do what her dumbass parents did!"

Lucy flinched when he yelled the last part. She just called the King and Queen dumbasses. No, she just called her family dumbasses. She knew he didn't like Royals, or whatever he called them, but she couldn't believe that he would say that. She knew he was upset and mad, though, so she let it go.

Levy smiled. "I'll keep this a secret," she said. She grabbed Lucy's hands. "We are going to be best friends, okay?"

Lucy smiled and nodded.

* * *

**So I finally updated. Yay! I already have a few chapters written in advance, so I'm behind anymore. I'll be able to update regularly. **

**Now, if you read _Meister and Reaper_, just know that I will not be updating that today. I actually haven't written the fourth chapter. I got a couple nasty comments, and I want to be able to correct what they rudely complained about. Just know that I'll work on that and try to get it up soon.**

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10: Dream (6-10)

"So how old is Rogue?" Gray asked. He smiled as he watched Wendy. She was a few paces in front of him, kicking rocks and humming a song. They were both wearing the clothes Lucy got them.

"He turned eighteen about a month before I met you," Lucy said. She had her hood down. Her hair was blowing in the wind. Wendy was too lost in her own world to notice that if she turned around, she could see Lucy's face.

The three were on the way to the job the guild picked out. When they got to the gate that would lead out of Magnolia, they were surprised to see the guard sleeping. It was late at night, so Gray understood. Lucy was angry about it, though. She figured it was her inner-leader kicking in. She honestly would have reported it to her father, since it isn't safe for Magnolia for people to come and go, but he would wonder how she knew. They've been walking for almost an hour, so it was still nighttime.

"How old are you, anyways?" Lucy asked. She knew he was about her age, so she never really bothered to ask.

"I'll be nineteen in a few days, actually," Gray said. He looked down at their intertwined hands and smiled.

Lucy's face lit up. Gray saw this and sighed.

"You aren't allowed to do anything about it," he said.

"But why not!" Lucy whined.

"Because normal people couldn't afford to do anything," Gray pointed out.

"Then what do you normally do for your birthday?" Lucy asked.

"Well, a few of us go on missions to get some money. Then the S-class go to other towns to by a bunch of alcohol. Usually Mira does this, but one of the S-class will then take the little kids on a 'special journey.' Then we all get completely wasted." Gray laughed, remembering his birthday the previous year.

"You know, we have thousands and thousands of bottles of wine, beer, whiskey, or any other alcohol you could think of," Lucy pointed out. "Actually, the people who make different types of alcohol are required to give half of their makings to us, so we have a lot."

Gray stopped walking. "Are you saying you want to bring alcohol?" he asked, trying not to sound excited.

"Maybe I am," Lucy said in a teasing voice.

"I would love you forever," he said, practically drooling. He was one of the few people that actually enjoyed the taste of alcohol. It was better than chocolate, to him. Most people just liked the affects, but he would drink it even if the affects weren't there.

"I think I can take the risk," Lucy said with a smirk.

"Good," Gray said. He grabbed her chin and leaned closer to her.

"Look, look!" Wendy yelled. Gray flipped Lucy's hood back up and stepped two feet away. Wendy turned around and ran back to them, since she got pretty far ahead. "Look, it's Hargeon!" She was pointing behind her.

"Then we better get going," Gray laughed. Wendy smiled and started running towards town. Gray smashed his lips against Lucy's, then ran after Wendy a few seconds later, leaving Lucy completely dumbstruck.

"Gray!" she yelled, running after him.

X

"This should be the last box," the supplier said, handing the box over to Gray.

"Thank you," Gray said. He handed the man the money before putting the box on his small wagon. It was about an hour past dawn. They just had to take the items to the shoemaker now.

Gray looked and saw that Wendy was still sleeping on the wagon. He smiled before looking over to Lucy. She was sitting with a bunch of kids around her. They were all laughing. He started walking over.

"There," Lucy said, putting a flower in a little girl's hair. The girl giggled and blushed.

"You're really nice," one of the boys said.

"Thank you," Lucy said with a smile. "You know, I have something for you guys." She reached in her cloak and pulled out a black box. It had white and pink sakura petals painted on it.

"What's that?" a girl asked.

Lucy opened the box. "It's chocolate. Would you like a piece?" She handed a piece to the girl .

"It's really good!" the girl said.

Lucy handed pieces to the other kids. They all thanked her and ate it. They've never had chocolate before, since they were so young. Gray and Natsu were the youngest of people that have tasted it. Most of the newer generation didn't even know what chocolate was.

"Now you have to eat a piece," a boy said.

"I don't-" Lucy was interrupted by a chocolate being put in her mouth. She followed the hand up and saw Gray sitting beside her, smirking.

"Come on, it's only fair," Gray said.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Is it time to go?" she asked.

"Yeah, we need to get you back anyways," Gray said.

"You kids stay out of trouble, okay?" Lucy asked. All the kids giggled and nodded.

"It's good to see you're making friends," Gray said.

"Shut up," Lucy laughed, hitting him on the shoulder. They both got into the wagon.

"You kids ready to go?" the driver asked.

"Yep," Gray said, closing the curtain so the driver couldn't see them. Lucy flipped her hood down.

"How long until we're back to the shoemaker?" Lucy asked with a yawn.

"I'll wake you up, okay?" Gray asked, moving Lucy so her head was on his lap. Lucy was asleep in matter of seconds.

_"We're going to town?" Lucy asked. She was bouncing with excitement. _

_"We will once you go get changed," Jude said, ruffling her hair. Lucy was gone in a flash. Once she was back, she was wearing a different dress. She happily followed her dad to the carriage. _

_"Can I sit by Gray?" Lucy asked her father. He laughed and helped her inside. _

_"Of course you can," he said. He took his seat up front by the driver. _

_"I can't believe we finally get to go to town!" Lucy said excitedly. _

_"It's not that exciting," Gray said, folding his hands behind his head. _

_"You're just saying that because you've been there before," Lucy said. She laid down so her head was on his lap. _

_"No, it really isn't that fun," Gray said, running his hand through her hair unconsciously._

_Lucy yawned. _

_"You can go to sleep," Gray said. "I'll wake you up when we get there, okay?" _

_"Thanks," Lucy mumbled. She never went to sleep, though. She just closed her eyes. The hour trip went by quickly, though._

_"We're here," Jude said, opening the door. He helped Lucy out. Gray jumped out himself. The three walked into a shop. _

_"Hello, how may I help you?" a woman with a witchy voice asked. She was sitting on the floor, weird things around her. Lucy grabbed Gray's hand. She was really scared. _

_"Yes, I would like you to help me," Jude said, setting a hand on Lucy and Gray's heads. _

_"Yes, yes, and what would that me?" the woman asked. _

_Jude shoved Gray forward. "Wipe it completely," Jude said. He handed a piece of paper to the woman. "I want him to think this was his family."_

_"Is that all for him?" the woman asked with a crooked smirk. _

_"You know what? Make him hate the Royal Family so much he wants to kill us. That will make his life Hell," Jude said. _

_Lucy already had tears streaming down her face. She didn't know what was happening. She watched as the woman roughly grabbed Gray by the hair. She forced some liquid down his throat, making him faint. _

_"What would you like done with the girl?" the woman asked. _

_"Make her forget the boy. I don't care what you do, but give her a memory of today. Make her think it's her birthday or something and I took her to town. Oh, and make the town violent and scary. I don't want her every wanting to leave the castle," Jude said. _

_Lucy cried as the woman grabbed her hair. She felt the stinging liquid run down her throat. Then everything went black._

Lucy jolted up, breathing heavy. She looked over and saw Gray with a startled look on his face. She felt her eyes start to water.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Gray asked, reaching out to wipe a tear that fell from her eyes.

"What was that?" Lucy asked quietly.

"What was what?" Gray asked skeptically.

"It was a dream," Lucy said, confused. "But it seemed so real."

"You probably just had a nightmare," Gray said, laying her back down. "It's alright." He started running his fingers through her hair.

"Gray?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked.

"What happened to your parents?" she asked.

Gray stiffened. He sighed. Wendy was asleep, so he figured he could say. "They were killed," Gray started. "I lived in a different town when I was younger. My mother's name was Ur, my father Kyle, my oldest sister Ultear, my older brother Lyon, and Wendy and I all lived together. Wendy was only two at the time, so it happened about five years ago. The King ordered for my town to be burned down. I got pretty beat up. I could only manage to save Wendy. At that time I dreamed about joining Fairy Tail, so I did. I found Magnolia."

"Are you sure they were your parents?" Lucy asked quietly.

"What?" Gray gasped. "How would I not know who my parents are?"

"I'm going to try to go back to sleep," Lucy said, rolling over so her face was buried in his shirt.

* * *

**Well here's your update for the week. I think I have some time now to work on the next chapters. I'm on vacation, so I won't have much time. I have to say that I love ocean more and more every time I go.**

**Please Review!**


	11. Chapter 11: Whiskey (6-16)

Gray sighed as he counted his gold pieces again. He had forty-two. It has been a week since he was released. If he only got forty in a week, and the other three weeks were like that, he wouldn't even be able to get two hundred. He didn't know what he would do. Lucy couldn't exactly steal that much gold. Besides, it's his fine. He would feel bad if she payed for it all.

"Gray, how long are you going to pout?" Mira asked, leaning against the counter. "It's your birthday, after all. You shouldn't be so moody."

"Sorry," Gray sighed, tying the small sack off. He slid it over to Mira, who put it in the back room.

"Nineteen, huh?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, it's a blast," Gray said, rolling his eyes.

"Look on the bright side," Natau said.

"And what would that be?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, it just sounded good," Natsu laughed, scratching his head. Gray laughed and pushed Natsu's head.

"Lucy!" Wendy's squeal of delight could be heard throughout the guild hall.

Gray looked behind him and saw two hooded figures. The first was obviously Lucy, but he wasn't sure who the second was.

"Hey, Wendy," Lucy said, ruffling the girl's hair.

"It's Gray's birthday!" Wendy said happily, hugging Lucy around the waist.

Lucy laughed and hugged Wendy back for a few seconds. Then she led the other cloaked figure over to Gray. "I brought you a friend," Lucy told him as she sat beside him.

"It's nice to see you again," the cloaked figure said.

Gray thought a moment. "Loke?" he asked.

"The one and only," Loke laughed. He bumped fists with Gray. "Lucy told me about your birthday tradition, so I figured I would come along to join you guys. We brought alcohol."

"Thanks," Gray said, smiling at Lucy.

"I'll be back then," Loke said.

"So, what's the real reason he came?" Gray asked Lucy quietly.

Lucy sighed. "He sad that since I was out a full night last week, I was getting too comfortable here, so he is putting full watch on me. That way if Dad asked, he can say he was with me the whole time."

"That's understandable," Gray said, nodding his head. He reached under the table and grabbed Lucy's hand. She smiled and squeezed back.

Lucy looked down at the table and frowned. She nervously tapped her knee with her free hand. Then she sighed. "I won't be able to come over for a little while," she finally said.

"Is something wrong?" Gray asked, worried by her tone.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry. "Mom hasn't been feeling well. Capricorn told me that she may not..." She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Luce, I'm sorry," Gray croaked out. He couldn't imagine what would happen if her mother passed away. Lucy's never mentioned her mother before, so he wasn't sure how close they were, but either way, she was still loosing her mother. But this was bigger than Lucy. Fiore would loose her queen. And only God knows how Jude would be affected. He could turn even more cruel.

"Sorry, this is your party," Lucy said, wiping her eyes. "I shouldn't be making you sad, too."

"I'm happy as long as your here," Gray said, holding Lucy's face in his one hand. He wiped a forgotten tear with his thumb. Lucy let out a faint smile.

Then Gray's forehead was flicked.

"Ow! What the hell, Levy?!" Gray yelled, rubbing his stinging forehead.

"I saw the look in your eyed," Levy said, poking his forehead. "Not in the guild hall, especially with Wendy watching. Do you want people to know?"

Gray looked over and saw Wendy looking him. He nervously waved. She smiled and waved, then went back to talking with Romeo.

"Anyways, Mr. I Own My Own Brewery just brought in all the alcohol, and Cana is not-so-patiently waiting for you to drink something so she can," Levy explained. It was tradition for whomever's birthday it was to drink first. "So is he your servant, Lucy?"

"Yeah, but I treat all my servants like my friends," Lucy explained.

"Oh yeah, do you even have friends at the castle?" Gray asked.

"Sting and Rogue were the only other kids there growing up," Lucy said. She winced when she remembered her dream. What did it mean?

"GRAY, GET YOUR SORRY ASS OVER HERE!" Cana yelled from the bar.

"Looks like someone wants to drink," Gray laughed. He let Lucy's hand go and walked over to the bar.

"If you touch the beer I'll slit your throat," Cana hissed.

"O-okay," Gray stuttered nervously, holding his hands up. "I don't really care what I get."

"Here you go," Mira said, handing him a glass of whiskey.

"Thanks," Gray said, taking a sip. The second after, Cana took a sip of her pre-poured beer. Gray just shook his head and went back to the table.

"Is it good?" Lucy asked, looking into Gray's glass.

"You've never had it?" Gray asked, genially surprised. He thought royalty drank all the time at meals. But Lucy shook her head. "Okay, try some." He extended the glass to her.

Loke reached over and took it. "I will not allow it," he said. "It is improper for a lady to drink after a man. And if she were to drink, I would only allow the finest wine. A lady of her status-"

"Loke, stop," Lucy said, taking the cup from him. "I'm not at the castle, and you aren't the boss of me. You're just here to protect me, not make sure I'm acting the proper way. Besides, it would look suspicious if I acted so proper. Now go get something or sit down and be quiet."

Loke, Gray, and Levy all stared at Lucy in shock. Gray wondered what happened to her treating her servants like friends. He understood why she was mad, though. She leaves the castle to get away, not to just be proper outside.

"Will it kill me?" Lucy asked. Gray shook his head and smiled. "Okay, so I just have to drink it?"

"You're obviously nervous," Gray said, taking the cup back. "It's okay, you don't have to try it."

"No, I want to, really!" Lucy said.

Gray sighed and handed her the glass back. She carefully brought it up to her lips and took a sip. She smiled. "It tastes really good!"

The whole guild stopped what they were doing. They all turned to Lucy. She actually liked the taste of alcohol. They thought Gray was just stupid, but apparently there were more like him.

"Did I do something wrong?" Lucy asked, not sure why everyone was staring at her.

"You two are perfect for each other!" Levy squealed, clasping her hands together. "You both oddly like alcohol!"

"I thought everyone liked it. I mean, everyone here is drinking it," Lucy said, confused.

"No, they drink it because they like the affect. But you and Gray like the taste. That's what makes you weird," Levy explained.

"Oh well," Lucy said, shrugging. She took another drink of the whiskey.

"Hey, don't drink it all!" Gray laughed, taking the cup back.

X

Layla coughed. It felt like her body was being split in half.

"Please take it easy, Queen Layla," Capricorn said.

"Capricorn, I don't think I'll last much longer," Layla said in a broken tone.

"Please don't speak like that, Queen Layla," Capricorn pleaded.

"I need you to do-" Layla stopped talking to cough again. "-something for me."

"Anything, my Queen," Capricorn said, kneeling beside Layla's bed.

"There's a box in the very top of my wardrobe," Layla said. "I want you to give it to Lucy."

"And when would you like me to give it to her?" Capricorn asked.

"Come closer," Layla said, motioning with her finger. Capricorn leaned closer. She grabbed is hand, whispering her request in his ears. His eyes widened for a moment.

"I understand, my Queen," Capricorn said. He saw her eyes close and her body go limp.

And on that day, Fiore lost her queen.

* * *

**A little sad at the end, huh? **

**Please Review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Knight (6-28)

"I can't believe you got drunk off of one cup of whiskey," Loke laughed.

"I wouldn't have given it to her if I knew she was such a lightweight," Gray laughed along.

The two men were carrying Lucy to her room. Loke figured that Gray could be snuck into the castle fairly easy, so he was going to spend the night in one of the extra rooms. Loke also told Gray that there was a demand for knights in the castle. He told Gray he should try to apply. It would be a lot easier for him to work off his fine, rather than pay it in gold.

When the three entered Lucy's room, they were surprised to see Rogue, Sting, Aries, and Virgo. They all had worried looks on their faces.

"What's going on?" Loke asked.

"It's Queen Layla," Aries said, about to burst into tears at any moment.

Lucy was instantly sober. She pushed Gray and Loke away. "What happened to Mom?" she asked.

"She...she," Virgo tried to speak. She was far too shocked.

Lucy and Loke understood fully. "No," Lucy said, shaking her head. "You're lying." She grit her teeth, trying not to cry.

"Lucy, I'm sorry," Gray said, finally understanding what was happening.

Rogue and Sting exchanged glances. "Who are you?" Sting asked angrily, looking straight at Gray. "Who the hell do you think you are, calling Lucy by her name?"

"Wait, weren't you charged with treason?" Rogue asked, his eyes wide.

"This is Gray Fullbuster," Loke introduced him. "He is going to apply for a position as a knight. I asked him to assist bringing Lucy to her room."

"Rogue, we need to go," Sting said, standing up. "King Jude wanted to see us right after we told Lucy."

Sting ruffled Lucy's hair as he passed. When Rogue passed, he kissed Lucy's forehead. "I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow," he said. She just nodded.

"What was that?" Gray asked after Loke closed the door.

"What was what?" Lucy asked with a yawn. She went over and sat at her vanity. Aries started brushing her hair. Virgo went to her closet to get her night clothes.

"He kissed your forehead," Gray mumbled, crossing his arms.

"Aw, are you jealous?" Lucy teased him. He just puffed out his cheeks and looked away. She let out a laugh. "I already told you I'm engaged."

"I figured you would tell the guys to back off or something," he admitted.

"Gray," Lucy sighed. "I can't just tell him that I don't want to marry him. That's not how it works."

"Princess Lucy, you're outfit is ready," Virgo said. Lucy thanked her and went to change behind her dressing screen.

Gray could almost laugh at the fact that he was not used to Lucy being called 'princess.' It sounded weird to him.

X

"So you all want to be knights, huh?" a knight yelled across the room. He was very tall and muscular. "Well it won't be easy! You will all undergo my training. If you pass, you are a knight! King Jude will decide your position. My name is Kibishi, and I will be making the next day of your life a living Hell."

Gray looked around the room nervously. There were so many people around. He even noticed a few girls. He wasn't sure if girls could be knights. Apparently everyone in the room went under a background check. Loke said he would take care of his, so he assumed he was approved. So now he just had to live through the day. Loke told him that the training was brutal.

The first test was for all of them to fight with wooden sticks. The first person to get hit would lose. It seemed easy enough. Gray was great with sword fighting, so he was confident. The fights were actually set up like a tournament. The winner of the first match would keep fighting until he lost. Gray was fifth in line. The first match was between two guys. They both looked pretty scrawny. The match lasted about five minutes. The next person was a girl. The girl ended up winning after ten minutes. The fourth person was a huge man. He easily won. He actually made the girl cry. So that left Gray to fight the huge man.

"You might want to go sit down before you get hurt," the man said with a smirk.

Gray returned his smirk. "Yeah, you better go do that."

Kibishi said they could start. The man swung Gray as hard as he could. Gray easily dodged the attack. When the man swung a second time, Gray grabbed the man's wrist. He flipped the man over his shoulder so he fell flat on his back. Gray touched his stick to the man's nose. Everyone was more than impressed. The man had to weigh three hundred pounds, and Gray flipped him like he was a fly.

Gray actually won every match after that. The matches never lasted longer than two minutes. He loved the approving glances Kibishi gave him. He was just hoping that every other test would be as easy. The next test was actually a strength and endurance test. Everyone had to hold a stick on their shoulders with a bucket on each end. Kibishi and a few other knights would slowly add weight into the bucket. That test weeded out a lot of girls. Eventually, everyone had to give up because it was too much weight. Gray was the only one standing strong. Kibishi ended up having to add one more bucket to each side. Once they were all full of weights, he decided to just move on.

"You're a tough one, Fullbuster," Kibishi laughed. "Just don't get cocky. I'll find something that you can't do."

For the next test, everyone was blindfolded. They had to maneuver through an obstacle course in a field near the castle. Gray was the first to go through. As he walked, he could feel the ground becoming increasingly soft. He stopped walking and listened. He could faintly hear water. He turned left and continued walking, avoiding the swamp that he was about to run into. He figured that a wall or something would come up, so he started to quietly whistle. He could faintly here someone screaming behind him. He figured that they fell into the swamp. They were probably rushing to get through the course. He was taking it slow, making sure he didn't get hurt. He could tell that his whistling was being slightly muffled. He reached his hand out and felt a wooden wall. He found that there were grooves on it, so he climbed over it. He assumed there would be some pit directly bellow it on the other side, so he jumped off the top. He knelt down and felt the ground behind him. There was a hole there. He wasn't sure how deep, but he was sure a body could fit in there.

"Congratulations, you completed the course," Kibishi said. Gray immediately put his hands up. He managed to block a punch. "Oh, how did you know?"

"You didn't tell me I could take my blindfold off. You just said that so I would let my guard down," Gray said. He could hear someone walked up behind him. He ducked to the ground, dodging a kick he somehow guessed was coming his way. He jumped up and punched the man in the face. He could hear a lot of people coming towards him. He ended up knocking them all out.

Gray heard one last person walking up. The footsteps were slow and tired. He had a feeling that this wasn't someone to fight. Many men were sent at him to fight, probably to test if he will fight the last person. He remembered that Kibishi said that if they all passed the test then King Jude would determine their position. When the footsteps stopped, Gray turned around the opposite way. He knelt down on one knee and bowed. "King Jude," he said. He felt his blindfold come off. He looked up to see King Jude smiling at him.

"Very well done," Jude complimented him. He looked behind Gray at Kibishi. "I'm surprised you knew to turn around. How did you even know I would appear?"

"Kibishi said that you would judge our performance, Your Majesty. I just had a feeling that you would show up. I didn't expect you to walk right up to me, either, King Jude," Gray said. He didn't really like using such proper titles, but he wanted to become a knight. He wanted to lift the burden of his debt off of Fairy Tail and off of Lucy.

"You were very composed during all your tests. You didn't even bat an eye when you went through the course. You approached it logically. You analyze the situation thoroughly before acting. I believe that you will be a fine knight, finer than many before you," King Jude said. He pulled Gray up so he was standing. "I would like you to be my daughter's personal guard. She likes to wonder around, and I think you will be able to protect her better than anyone else."

Gray was completely and utterly shocked.

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	13. Chapter 13: Guilty Pleasure (7-6)

Princess Lucy," two maids said as they bowed. They opened up the doors to the dining room.

"Thank you," Lucy said. She smiled at then before going inside, the doors closing behind her. She looked at the large table in front of her. It wasn't anything different than she was used to, but it still took her breath away every time.

"Hey Lucy!" Sting called excitedly from the other end of the table. He was not-so-gracefully shoving food into his mouth. She couldn't help but laugh at that. Rogue was sitting beside him, eating very slowly and calmly. They were total opposites.

"Good morning, Luce," Rogue said as Lucy sat beside him. She smiled, seeing that she was eating pancakes for breakfast. She didn't even notice that Rogue leaned over to kiss her temple. She was too busy watching a maid pour syrup on her food. She wished she could put her own on. But if she did that, she would probably use it all.

"Please enjoy your meal, Princess Lucy," the maid said. She bowed and quickly left the room. Lucy wasted no time in digging into her pancakes. She was a mixture between Sting and Rogue, leaning a little more towards how Sting eats. She only ate that way with food she loved, though.

"If you don't slow down you might choke," a masculine voice laughed. Lucy dropped her fork mid-bite and stood up, her chair falling down. She whirled around and saw Gray standing there, a smirk on his face. She was so happy to see him. It's been at least a week. She would have stopped at Fairy Tail, but Loke wouldn't let her leave.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked. As excited was she was, there was a part of her that was a bit concerned. He would get in serious trouble if someone found him.

That's when she noticed what he was wearing. It wasn't the clothes she got him. He was wearing the same thing as Sting and Rogue, but his clothes were dark blue. She didn't fail to notice a katana strapped to his side.

"Princess Lucy," Gray said, kneeling down. He just thought it would be funny if he told her that way. "It's my pleasure to be your personal knight."

It took a moment to sink in. When it did, she couldn't help the overwhelming joy. She didn't even care that Sting and Rogue were in the room. She fell down into Gray's arms, giving him the tightest hug she could. By the time Gray hugged her back, she was standing up again. She sat back down at the table as quickly as possible, eating as if nothing happened.

X

Lucy hummed as she skipped through the gardens, looking at all the flowers. Rogue was walking fast beside her. They were holding hands, by his choice. Gray was lagging way behind them. He was suppose to stay close but still far away.

"Luce," Rogue said as he stopped walking. Lucy let out a 'huh' and turned around. Gray stopped walking as well. He was just far enough away to here their conversation. "Jude talked to me the other day."

Lucy had a confused look on her face. She saw Rogue pull out a little velvet box from his pocket. She tried to turn away but Rogue stopped her. She knew what it was.

"This was your mother's ring," Rogue said, opening the small box. Lucy smiled when she saw the familiar ring. "Your birthday is coming up. We have to get married soon."

Lucy sighed. She knew that this was coming. She just wished she had more time. She held out her hand so Rogue could put the ring on. She didn't even notice she was crying until she felt Rogue wipe a tear away with his thumb.

"We've know we were getting married for almost three years now," Rogue said. He had both his hands on Lucy's face. "You haven't kissed me once."

"R-Rogue," Lucy stuttered. They've kissed a few times but he always kissed her. She never did kiss him.

"And even on our wedding day, I'll be the one kissing you," Rogue said smoothly. He gently pressed his lips against hers. It was a sweet kiss, and Lucy found herself melting into his arms. It was the first time that she's felt that way. She couldn't count how many times he's kissed her on her fingers and toes, but somehow, this was different. She found herself shocked when he pulled away from her, because she actually missed the feeling. She couldn't believe it, really. Why would she feel that way when she had Gray? Maybe she finally excepted that she would be with Rogue the rest of her life and she should probably get used to it.

Lucy honestly forgot about Gray being there. That must have been why she didn't feel guilty about wrapping her arms around Rogue's neck and kissing him again. It deeply surprised both males. Rogue was happy that she actually kissed him and not the other way around. Gray was shocked and almost angry. It was one thing for her to except his affections. He did think she loved him, after all. But to instigate such actions? He was about ready to break the two up. It just drove him insane that they were making out in the middle of the gardens, right in front of him, and not even seeming to care. He was just a simple knight to Rogue, but he was more to Lucy.

Gray was too consumed in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice that Rogue and Lucy were walking. Rogue went over and sat on one of the nearby benches. He pulled Lucy down beside him. She easily curled up to his side.

In a matter of minutes, Lucy was fast asleep. Rogue was running his fingers through her hair, but he suddenly stopped. "You don't have to look at me like that," he said.

Gray flinched. He didn't even realize that he was glaring at Rogue. "I wasn't," he mumbled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Just what exactly is going through that head of yours?" Rogue snapped. Gray was a bit surprised that he lost his cool like that. He always seemed so composed. "You look at Lucy like she's yours and follow her around like a lost puppy. Just who do you think you are, looking so pained when I so much as hug her? Not to mention when I kiss her. Do you have some stupid little crush on her?" Rogue chuckled. "Does that stupid little brain of yours actually think she'd look at you in any way other than her knight? She's an engaged Princess. What exactly do you expect from her?"

Gray clenched his fists. He was just itching to smack the smirk off Rogue's face. He wanted to just yell at him, saying how stupid he was. He had it all wrong. Lucy would never look at him in any other way than as the man she loves. She wouldn't even call him her knight, just because their relationship is far beyond that. And that stupid crush, that's wrong too. Rogue is the one with the stupid crush. Lucy would never love him. Gray knew she loved him and no one else. She hasn't said it, but he knew she did.

"No response?" Rogue asked. He let out a 'tch.' "I'm going to take Lucy back to her room. Why don't you go play knight somewhere else? You're done for the night."

Gray watched as Rogue carried Lucy away. He knew that it wouldn't be easy, but he didn't expect it to be this hard. He didn't think that Rogue would openly challenge him like that. But if Rogue wanted a war, a war is what he'd get.

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**I made Rogue seem like a jerk, huh? Well Gray can use a little healthy completion, right? **

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